Saturday, October 16, 2010

Our first year, I really shied away from doing seasonal gift stuff. One bad move and you are stuck with a lot of pumpkin treat bags, and unlike big chains, and if most of your stuff gets marked down post holiday, why bother carrying it? (Unlike some retailers. Here's an archive link to the Mickey Drexler profile in The New Yorker where he complains that J. Crew sells product at triple the net while his competitors are at five times the net. Yes, that item for $25 cost them $5 where ours cost us between $12.50 and $15. To be explored someday in another post.)

And an aside, if you subscribe to The New Yorker, you should probably claim your digital subscription, which comes free, before someone grabs a discarded issue out of your trash! Always a panicker.

What was I talking about again? Thanksgiving. We brought in a little more this year. But where to put it. And does it seem too early? No, it's in a month!

So we've been thinking it's time for our fall cookbook table anyway. And aren't a lot of folks going to use these cookbooks to find new recipes for their holiday dinners? So there we are.

3. Dinner on November 9th at Bacchus is with David Tanis, author of Heart of the Artichokeand Other Kitchen Journeys. Tanis is head chef at Chez Panisse under Alice Waters. Dinner is at 6:30 and for $135, you also get a signed copy of the book.

Here's more from Bacchus: "David has an unbelievable life- for six months of the year, he runs Chez Pannise for Alice, then he takes six months and lives in Paris, where he hosts small dinner parties in his home. He has also written two beautiful cookbooks- he co-wrote the Chez Panisse Cookbook with Alice Waters, and on his own he has written Corn, A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes, and nowHeart of the Artichoke." More at their site.

4. Sunday, November 28th, at 2 PM (yes, that's Thanksgiving weekend) we're hosting a talk and tasting with Kelly Pelloza, author of The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur. More details on this to come.

Wow, this post is too long. No room to talk about corn candles and turkey centerpieces, to say nothing of metal crows and wooden acorns. Oh, and the metal crows aren't even out yet. And yes, the turkeys are made out of pinecones and twigs. Not locally, sadly, but it's a good idea for a local artisan to make and sell.